Departing from Fisherman ’ s Wharf • San Francisco
SALTWATER
28 May 25 - June 8 , 2018 VOL . 37 • ISS . 12
Halibut Bonanza Aboard The Happy Hooker !
S pring is a great time to be a fisherman in Northern California . There are lots of great angling opportunities available .
Take your choice : stripers , black bass , crappie , trout , kokanee , rockfish and halibut to name just a few .
For me personally , I have been waiting all season to do a bit of live bait potluck fishing . Early in the season , the focus is primarily on halibut and striped bass . As the season progresses , rockfish become part of the mix .
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WHAT ’ S HOT SALTWATER by Mark Fong
Big halibut , big smiles and beautiful San Francisco Bay Area scenary … That ’ s been the story aboard the charter boat Happy Hooker this spring .
Photo by MARK FONG , Fish Sniffer Staff .
With my decision made , I gave Captain Jonathon Smith of Happy Hooker Sportfishing a call ( 510 ) 223-5388 ; www . happyhookersportfishing . com ) and booked a spot on the rail .
Jonathon and his father Chris operate the 56 ’ Happy Hooker out of the Berkeley Marina during live bait season .
Once on board , Captain Jonathon confirmed we would be drifting live anchovies on a standard live bait three way swivel rig .
After leaving the breakwater , Captain Jonathon steered the Happy Hooker toward the barges near the east side of Treasure Island where he carefully set up for our first drift .
I baited up with a lively anchovy and lowered my rig to the bottom . After a few drifts , the halibut started to bite . Unfortunately , the fish were all shy of keeper length which prompted the Captain to make a change .
Captain Jonathon announced that we would be making a run to the South Bay to catch the tide change . When we arrived at our destination , the tide was just starting to get right and it did not take long for the fish to start biting . The first fish to come over the rail was a nice schoolie striper . Soon bigger halibut started to hit the deck .
As we drifted along , I kept my eyes fixed on the tip of my rod as it bobbed up and down in
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Mark Fong nailed this impressive 20 pound California halibut while fishing San Francisco Bay aboard Berkeley ’ s Happy Hooker this April .
Photo by MARK FONG , Fish Sniffer Staff . the rod holder . All of a sudden the rhythmic cadence changed . I removed my rod from the holder and let the fish load up . Once I felt the weight of the fish , I began reeling quickly to set the hook .
“ Fish On ,” I cried out and deckhand Greg was quickly at my side with the net . The fish made a powerful run and I knew that this was not a shaker . After an extended tug of war , Greg slid the net under a beautiful halibut in the 20lb range .
By this time other anglers on the boat were hooking up too . For the next several hours a mixture of keeper halibut and shakers kept the boat a buzz with
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I caught quite a few more fish , but none were of legal length . My day ended with one very nice keeper halibut . The boat score for the day totaled 27 keeper halibut to 22 lbs and 2 keeper striped bass for 14 anglers .
I had a great time fishing with Captain Jonathon and deckhand Greg . Captain Jonathon told me he expects the fishing to get even better . Once the striped bass return from the Delta , watch out . I can ’ t wait to get out and fish again .
Don ’ t you miss out . Now is the time to get in on some great saltwater fishing action .
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